Best Time to Visit Kowloon

Cool and dry: October to February

This is the stretch to aim for. Days are mild and the air feels lighter, so walking Nathan Road, the Temple Street Night Market or the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront is a pleasure. December is the driest month, and January is close behind. Nights get properly cool, so you'll want a jacket on the Star Ferry after dark.

October and November are warmer but still pleasant, with the most sun of the year. If you want the Victoria Harbour skyline with clear views, this is when you get it. Hiking is at its best too. Try Lion Rock or the Kowloon Peak trail.

Expect crowds. December brings Christmas lights and holiday visitors, and Chinese New Year (late January or February) fills the streets with flower markets and fireworks over the harbour. Hotels fill up around then. If you hate crowds, pick early November or mid-January.

Warming up: March and April

Spring turns muggy and grey. March rates Excellent, but rain days jump to 10, and April has 13. Sun is limited, so skyline views can be hazy. This suits museum trips, like the Hong Kong Museum of History in Tsim Sha Tsui, and food crawls through Sham Shui Po. Around Easter and Ching Ming (a spring day for visiting family graves) things get busier, but it's a quieter period for most travellers.

Hot and wet: May to September

Be honest with yourself here: it's sticky. Highs reach 30°C or more, nights barely cool off, and it rains on 20 days or more in May, June and August. June is the wettest month at 290 mm. Showers can be heavy, and typhoon season runs through this period, so keep your plans loose.

There's an upside. Hotels are cheaper and the big sights are less packed, though school holidays in July and August bring local families and tourists. Spend your afternoons indoors in malls, the Hong Kong Space Museum or the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, and save the outdoors for the gaps between showers. Dragon Boat Festival, usually in June, is worth the damp. Races take place around Hong Kong, including at Tsim Sha Tsui East.

September is still rated Poor, but it has the most sun of the wet months. Mid-Autumn Festival often falls in September or early October, with lanterns and mooncakes in Victoria Park and across Kowloon's parks.